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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · cell · land · safe · bound · hide · cold · deal

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. cell — a phone
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — tied together
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — ground
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in biology
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — certain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cold — not warm
  23. game — a match
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com